The Penn State Center, Pittsburgh Community Services and state Sen. Jim Ferlo have teamed up to combine two Allegheny County grants to leverage foundation support for a green infrastructure project in the East End's 15206 ZIP code area.

Project 15206 and the East End Rain Container Initiative have received $250,000 grants each from the County Infrastructure and Tourism Fund to target 10 sites in five neighborhoods to reduce storm runoff in the Negley Run and Heth's Run watersheds. Rapid runoff in August 2011 contributed to four deaths in floodwaters on Washington Boulevard.

Penn State Center has overall charge of the project and will coordinate site design, construction of wetlands, rain gardens and bioswales and work with TreeVitalize to strategically plant trees through 2015.

Community meetings have begun. The next one is from 5:30 to 8 p.m. May 28 at the Kingsley Association in Larimer.

Pittsburgh Community Services and Mr. Ferlo's staff have begun outreach and already have 250 households committed to having rain containers installed. There are funds for 400 containers that will be supplied by the Nine Mile Run Watershed Association's StormWorks program. Depending on people's incomes, they will be installed for free or at reduced cost.

Consultant Matt Graham of Landbase Systems estimates that 400 rain containers properly installed and drained of two-tenths of a gallon per hour -- a slow drip -- into a backyard or garden can prevent 2 million gallons of water from entering storm sewers each year.

"Whatever we do," said Deno De Ciantis, director of the Penn State Center in Pittsburgh, "our facilities will have to handle peaks. We need to align all the thinking among policy makers, design people, water scientists and residents so we can be as effective as possible in every opportunity to mitigate storm water," he said.

That likely will require changes to municipal regulations that conflict with rain infrastructure, he said.

The city of Pittsburgh will contribute funds and labor and the Allegheny County Sanitary Authority will monitor the sites. Three of the 10 proposed sites are between North Negley and Stanton avenues in Morningside and Highland Park. One is in East Liberty between South Negley and Centre Avenue -- the former Penn Circle South. A cluster of four straddles Washington Boulevard in Larimer and Homewood. One is above Washington Boulevard in Lemington and one is along Negley Run Boulevard in Highland Park.

Lisa Kunst Vavro, a landscape architect and the sustainable environments manager for the Penn State Center, said Negley Run is "the top priority because of the flooding that claimed four lives. By the end of May we should be full force into design."

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Groups pool grants to reduce storm water in East End

VOL. 129 | NO. 92 | Monday, May 12, 2014

SMALL BUSINESS SPOTLIGHT

Whether it was pagers, two-way radios, fax machines or the Internet, Michael Hatcher has always been quick to embrace technological advances as a way to help grow his small business, the landscaping firm Michael Hatcher & Associates Inc.

Landscaping, it was never considered to have much technology and was always thought of as a more hands-on business, said Hatcher, who founded the company in 1984. But weve always welcomed technology and thats where we are now, embracing the technology with the (applications) available on the smartphones and smart pads.

The company recently reinvented its entire office system to integrate it with smart mobile devices. Today, his employees no longer punch an old-school time clock. Instead, they check into work with their mobile devices. The new system helps him know exactly where his employees are, what they are doing and what type of materials theyre using, which helps with everything from ordering supplies to deploying employees.

Michael Hatcher, right, of Hatcher and Associates reviews order details with Hubert Turley in one of Dabney Nurserys greenhouses. The two businesses have been neighbors for 30 years.

(Daily News/Andrew J. Breig)

They actually clock in with their phone or pad, Hatcher said. Then when they get to a location they log in and it overlaps with a Google Earth system so we know where they are at all times. All of that information goes back to a software program so they know exactly how long they worked on a yard and what they did, what materials theyve used.

The company is currently beta testing an irrigation application where his employees can come into a clients property, take pictures and use GPS technology to show on a Google Earth map where each piece of irrigation infrastructure is located.

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Technology Keeps Hatchers Landscape Business Booming

Roberto Burle Marx's garden outside Rio de Janeiro.

What with the World Cup this June, followed by the Olympics in 2016, Brazil has become something of a mega-sporting-event hotspot. Intermittent economic crises notwithstanding, we are talking billion-dollar stadiums, arenas and highways. Less, however, is being said about the planting plans. While horticulturists spent years perfecting the wildflower meadows that stretched around London's Olympic Park in 2012, it is still unclear what spectators will find growing in Rio de Janeiro.

Brazilian gardens, though - and South American gardens, generally - are increasingly in the spotlight. A string of South American designers have visited Melbourne in recent years to speak about the landscapes they are fashioning in Chile, Argentina and Brazil, while last year's Melbourne Food and Wine Festival featured a South American-style coffee plantation at Southbank.

And then there is a 2006 book, New Brazilian Gardens: The Legacy of Burle Marx, that has just been reprinted and released in Australia as a paperback. By Roberto Silva - a landscape architect who divides his time between London and Brazil - the book is full of pictures of gardens with oversized leaves, diverse textures and bold colours. It shows how luxuriant drifts of plants and expanses of water can be used to accentuate all manner of natural topographies in a similar vein to what Roberto Burle Marx began doing in the 1930s.

Both a modernist and a conservationist, Burle Marx used the native Brazilian flora he had come across while studying painting in Germany to create great curvilinear landscapes that read as abstract paintings as much as gardens. He was - in the words of Warwick Forge, who has been taking Australian garden tours to South America for almost 10 years - a "game-changer".

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Burle Marx has been cited as an influence by most of the South American designers who have spoken at the Australian Landscape Conference - a biennial event held in Melbourne and also run by Forge - with the Brazilian's aesthetic also fitting our growing penchant for the climatically appropriate.

While South American gardens span tropical, temperate, arid and cold regions, the celebrated Chilean landscape architect Juan Grimm told last year's conference that the key to good garden design was to understand the order of the natural local landscape. "It's important to observe how plants relate to each other in the wild and then forge a dialogue between the natural and architectural elements of a site," he said.

Chilean landscape architect Juan Grimm's Los Vilos garden.

On Grimm's own property overlooking the Pacific Ocean in Los Vilos (a place similar to the Victorian coast in its ruggedness), he has coaxed an array of indigenous plants to creep, intermingle and dissolve into the wider landscape as if they have always been there. He has also thrown into the mix an overtly designed, perfectly circular swimming pool.

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Taking Latin lessons

Accommodation Reviews Travel Travel News

Anantara Emei Resort and Spa, China.

Anantara's Emei Resort and Spa has just opened in Sichuan, in an idyllic landscape with ancient trees, waterfalls, streams and springs at the foot of China's Mount Emei.

The luxury resort adjacent to Exiu Lake has 90 guest rooms, 40 pavilions and 20 villas with oriental design and lush garden or tranquil lake views.

Some villas have their own spas or swimming pools and indulgences available from the resort's spa centre include exotic bamboo massage or a ginger bath ritual treatment. There are also children's facilities, a main tropical swimming pool, yoga and tai chi classes.

Anantara Emei Resort's interior.

Sichuan's culinary tradition is on show at the resort's five restaurants and there are connoisseur evenings with wines, gourmet snacks, spirits and cigars, as well as degustation menus.

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Personalised dining is also available, with "dining-by-design" menus available for a romantic candlelight dinner by the pool or in your villa.

The resort's cooking classes include market tours and there are also visits to Haochi Street in downtown Emei and to an old farmhouse where tofu is traditionally made in ancient stone pots.

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Spa in a sacred place

I'd be ur slavw, my suitor whispered to me through his keyboard. He immediately corrected his typo.

When this pickup line plopped into my OkCupid inbox, swoon I did not. Instead, I LOLed, then felt pity, for both my suitor and myself. I was 32 and single in a city of only a quarter million, with only a fraction of those available to me. The comedy of this online encounter competed with my despair.

I couldn't help but wonder, in a Sex and the City, Carrie Bradshaw type of way: Is this worth it? Will online dating help me find true love in Madison?

Dating in Madison often seems like another of what Rebecca Ryan called a "tier-two tradeoff" in the October 2013 issue of Madison Magazine. That is, we all make sacrifices to live in our beloved but small city. In dating, that sacrifice might be options.

Fishing for love in a small pond can make your odds of hooking a mate look grim. At a certain age, the dating pool dries up into isolated puddles. People become increasingly settled into relationships and families, and you find yourself searching for new and different waters.

Therein lie the hope, the horror and the humor of online dating in Madison.

Online vs. 'organic'

Now a nearly 20-year-old phenomenon, with the birth of Match.com in 1995, online dating seems to have reached its prime. In a 2013 poll by Pew Research Institute, 38% of single-and-looking Americans confessed they've searched for love (or something like it) on the Internet. Most users fell in the ripe age bracket of the mid-20s to mid-40s.

As with much of life, the Internet has colonized the dating landscape. Sites range from the big "markets" (Match, eHarmony and OkCupid) to niche communities such as GreenSingles for the Earth lovers, ChristianSingles for the Jesus lovers, and Vampire Passions for, well, you get the point. Mobile apps, such as Tinder and Grindr, connect potential matches based on tidbits like mutual Facebook friends and geographic proximity.

As the online market grows, success stories are accumulating.

Originally posted here:
Looking for love online: Is Madison's singles pool big enough for dating success?

May 08, 2014 Professor Bond is a team member and lead author of of a summary on the use of technology designed to transform lignocellulosic biomass into a jet fuel surrogate via catalytic chemistry. Credit: Syracuse University

A key challenge in the biofuels landscape is to get more advanced biofuelsfuels other than corn ethanol and vegetable oil-based biodieselinto the transportation pool. Utilization of advanced biofuels is stipulated by the Energy Independence and Security Act; however, current production levels lag behind proposed targets. Additionally, certain transportation sectors, such as aviation, are likely to continue to require liquid hydrocarbon fuels in the long term even as light duty transportation shifts to alternative power sources.

A multi-university team lead by George Huber, Professor of Chemical and Biological Engineering at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, has addressed both challenges through the concerted development of technology designed to transform lignocellulosic biomass into a jet fuel surrogate via catalytic chemistry. This promising approach highlights the versatility of lignocellulose as a feedstock and was recently summarized in the journal Energy & Environmental Science by team member and lead author Jesse Q. Bond, Syracuse University Assistant Professor of Biomedical and Chemical Engineering.

Lignocellulosic biomass is an abundant natural resource that includes inedible portions of food crops as well as grasses, trees, and other "woody" biomass. According to the United States Department of Energy, the United States could sustainably produce as much as 1.6 billion tons of lignocellulose per year as an industrial feedstock. Lignocellulose can be processed to yield various transportation fuels and commodity chemicals; however, current strategies are not generally cost-competitive with petroleum. Here, Huber's team presents a comprehensive approach toward streamlining biomass processing for the production of aviation fuels. The proposed technology hinges on efficient production of furfural and levulinic acid from sugars that are commonly present in lignocellulosic biomass. These two compounds are then transformed into a mixture of chemicals that are indistinguishable from the primary components of petroleum-derived aviation fuels.

The technology was demonstrated through a multi-university partnership that brought together expertise in biomass processing, catalyst design, reaction engineering, and process modelling. Economic analysis suggests that, based on the current state of the technology, jet fuel-range hydrocarbons could be produced at a minimum selling price of $4.75 per gallon. The work also identifies primary cost drivers and suggests that increasing efficiency in wastewater treatment and decreasing catalyst costs could reduce that amount to $2.88 per gallon.

"This effort exemplifies the impact of a well-designed collaboration," said Bond. "As individual researchers, we sometimes focus too narrowly on problems that we can resolve using our own existing skills. Biomass refining is complex, and bio-based aviation fuels are difficult targets. Many of the real roadblocks occur at scarcely-studied research intersections. In our view, the only meaningful way to tackle these challenges is through strategic partnerships, and that is precisely what we've done in this program."

Explore further: Vertimass licenses ORNL biofuel-to-hydrocarbon conversion technology

More information: Paper: pubs.rsc.org/en/Content/ArticleLanding/2014/EE/C3EE43846E#!divAbstract

Vertimass LLC, a California-based start-up company, has licensed an Oak Ridge National Laboratory technology that directly converts ethanol into a hydrocarbon blend-stock for use in transportation fuels.

Dwindling crude oil reserves, accompanied by rising prices and environmental concerns, have led to increased interest in the use of renewable fuels. Biofuels produced from waste agricultural or forestry material ...

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Fueling aviation with hardwoods

New York, NY (PRWEB) May 07, 2014

The Pool and Billiard Halls industry steadily declined over the past five years, with revenue falling due to stagnant income growth following the recession. Consumer confidence in the economy sharply declined, causing consumers to sharply decrease discretionary spending on leisure and entertainment. According to the Sports and Fitness Industry Association, 56.7% of billiards participants are aged 25 to 54, a demographic group that was hard hit by the recession. Despite the gradual economic recovery in recent years, demand for pool halls continued to suffer due to low consumer confidence and high external competition. As a result, IBISWorld expects industry revenue to fall at an annualized rate of 0.4% to $750.0 million in the five years to 2014.

Long-term pool and billiards participation trends have negatively impacted the industry. According to Statista, a statistics firm, the number of participants in billiards and pool have fallen from a high of 51.1 million in 2007 to just 35.2 million in 2012 (latest available data). Additionally, according to Vending Times' Census of the Industry survey, the number of coin-operated pool tables at bars and pool halls fell from a high of 332,000 in 2007 to 260,000 in 2010, with this downward trend estimated to continue in recent years. Although revenue slightly picked up in 2011, younger consumers have continued to turn to video games, mobile technology and other alternative entertainment options. Furthermore, as the economy recovered and consumers returned to work, time available for leisure activity also declined. According to IBISWorld Industry Analyst David Yang, These negative trends are anticipated to continue in 2014, with revenue estimated to fall 4.1%.

The Pool and Billiard Halls industry is anticipated to continue to decline over the next five years, despite improving macroeconomic conditions across the board. Pool halls are projected to contract as negative participation trends will likely continue. In particular, pool halls will continue to have difficulty attracting younger customers, who will likely have even more entertainment options available in the coming years, says Yang. Although pool halls are anticipated to depend more heavily on higher margin food, beverage and merchandise sales as a source of revenue, profit will likely remain low due to external competition and rising wage costs as operators hire more employees to serve food. Overall, IBISWorld forecasts industry revenue to fall in the five years to 2019.

For more information, visit IBISWorlds Pool and Billiard Halls in the US industry report page.

Follow IBISWorld on Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/IBISWorld.

Friend IBISWorld on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/IBISWorld/121347533189.

IBISWorld industry Report Key Topics

The Pool and Billiard Halls industry operates facilities where consumers can play cue sports, such as eight-ball and nine-ball. Also known as billiard halls, these facilities may also offer gaming machines, foosball, darts and other games.

Industry Performance Executive Summary Key External Drivers Current Performance Industry Outlook Industry Life Cycle Products & Markets Supply Chain Products & Services Major Markets Globalization & Trade Business Locations Competitive Landscape Market Share Concentration Key Success Factors Cost Structure Benchmarks Barriers to Entry Major Companies Operating Conditions Capital Intensity Key Statistics Industry Data Annual Change Key Ratios

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Pool and Billiard Halls in the US Industry Market Research Report Now Available from IBISWorld

By TOM ODULA and ELIAS MESERET Associated Press

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia (AP) - Government troops captured a rebel stronghold and took back control of another town, sending rebels fleeing toward the Ethiopian border, a South Sudanese military spokesman said Monday. Fighting around the important oil town, however, was still being reported.

The government offensive comes just days after South Sudanese President Salva Kiir told U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry that he was ready to hold peace talks with the rebel leader, former Vice President Riek Machar. But a spokesman for Machar's negotiating team in Ethiopia told The Associated Press on Monday that Machar first wants a "program" that includes a timeline for the formation of a transitional government as well as its composition and structure.

"The Americans are pushing us to go to Juba and form an interim government. We cannot go there without an agreement on a program first. We need to know who will be in that transitional government, in what capacity, for how long and issues like that," said the spokesman, Yohanis Musa Pouk.

Government troops have taken over the rebel base of Nasir, in the Upper Nile state and re-captured the capital of the oil-producing Unity state, Bentiu, from rebel control, Col. Philip Aguer said.

Bentiu was taken after a day-long exchange of fire Sunday with an unknown number of casualties, Aguer said. However, a security official in South Sudan who insisted on anonymity said reports indicated fighting around Bentiu is still ongoing.

Nasir was the rebel headquarters from where the rebels were mobilizing to attack the town of Malakal, Aguer said. He said Machar and his troops are now somewhere near the Ethiopian border. Pouk said that Machar is still inside South Sudan but he added that Machar will meet with Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn "very soon."

Kerry met with Kiir on Friday in South Sudan's capital Juba and afterward announced during a press briefing that Kiir had expressed willingness to meet with Machar. Kiir then flew to the Kenyan capital of Nairobi where he met with Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta and Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni and announced that he is willing to hold the talks with Machar to discuss how to end the conflict in South Sudan.

South Sudan has been rocked by violence since December, when Kiir accused Machar of staging a coup. Thousands of people are believed to have been killed and 1 million people have fled their homes due to the conflict. A peace deal signed in January has failed. With few residents tending crops, U.N. officials say the country faces a severe risk of famine in the months ahead.

The violence is increasingly taking on an ethnic dimension between Kiir's Dinka community and Machar's Nuer community.

More here:
S. Sudan govt: Troops capture 2 towns from rebels

When a mid-century house at 220 Onondaga Ave., right behind Kevin and Minnie Pulitzer McCluskeys home, came up for sale in 2008, the couple bought it, thinking that it would be an ideal home for Minnies mother, once she had sold her own house.

But the late Lilly Pulitzer Rousseau, who died in April 2013, never lived on Onondaga Avenue, having remained in her longtime home at 710 S. County Road, which sold last December.

The house behind the McCluskeys would have been a fine fit for her, Minnie said.

It was in great shape, as it had already been renovated before we bought it, Minnie said. All we needed to do was repaint some of the rooms and change some of the landscaping, making it even more lush.

Thats about it. We even kept the patio furniture because it was lovely. All we had to do was recover it.

With 2,872 square feet of living space, inside and out, the mid-block house has three bedrooms and two-and-a-half baths. It stands a few lots west of the point where North Ocean Boulevard makes its final curve to accommodate the beachfront estates on the northern tip of the island.

Moms property was so big, and this place would have been perfect. She was so excited, and since our property backs up to it, we could have opened the yards up and combined them. My son, Jack, could have done a cannonball in the pool right next to her every day.

That plan, though, was not to be. So the McCluskeys have listed the house for sale at $2.4 million with Brown Harris Stevens, where Minnie is a real estate agent.

Its priced to sell, she said. Its great. We are a little prejudiced, of course.

A circular driveway leads to the clean-lined, one-story stucco home, painted a pale terra-cotta color with white trim. A wall of Art Deco-style glass blocks by the front door greets visitors. There are built-in shelves in the entry.

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Lush landscape, relaxed feel

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Michael Spencer's Make It Green: Add color, variety to your community landscape